Molded flooring material



Nov. 12, 1940. H. M. Aus-UN 2,221,038

MOLDED FLOORING MATERIAL Filed Jan; 8; 1937 Patented Nov. l2, 1940 MOLDED FLOORING MATERIAL I Harry M. Austin, Baltimore, Md.,

assignor to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York ApplicationA January` 8, 1937, Serial No. 119,702

reclaim.k (ciao-fie)r f .The present invention relates to molded ilooring material. i The principal object of the invention is to provide a molded flooring material which may be secured to any floor surface, and which has optimum anti-slipping and wearing qualities, combined with a high degree of resiliency.'

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient and non-slip 'stair tread which is particularly constructed Ato meet the'peculiar problems encountered in such types of floor covering.

Other objectsandadvantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and drawing, wherein: l Figure 1 is a plan view of a body of material of the present invention. l

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken onthe line 2-2 of Figure l. r

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing zo a sheet provided with a diierent type of securing means.

Figure 41s a view similar to Figure 2 of a mddy r iiied form of the invention. l

Figure 51s a plan view of a stair trea? con' structed inaccordance with my invention, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line` 6-6- of Figure 5.

Referring t6 Figures 1 and 2, whereina bo the material of the invention is shown, t e numeral- I0 designates an rupper and wear receivingu sheet or layer and the numeral Il indicates a base sheet. The body of thesheet i0 isof rubber or phenolithic resin yand has particles I2 of sive such as sharp sand, `emery or Carborundum inconforated therein. The base sheet Il may be formed of metal, rigid libre or phenolithic resin and is Joined to the sheet l0 by vulcanization.

The proportions of cork and rubber in the layer tainits resilient qualities even if the quantity of 50 rubber is sharply reduced, and the rubber may l therefore be relied.- upon chiefly for its character@ istics as a binder. The particles 'I3 of abrasive will increase the anti-slipping qualities of the material butV the emciency of the lvmaterial for *5s anti-slipping purposes is not due tothe presence Y a material having resilient and non-slip characteristics such as cork, and particles I3 of abraof these: particles alone, because cork has a high coemcient of friction. Also, in use, particlesof grit will become embedded in the cork, thereby increasing the anti-slipping characteristics of the material. Furthermo since the rubber will or- 1' dinarily wear more pdly than the cork.-the

' cork particles will protrude slightly above the surface of the rubber, and the material will lose none of its anti-slipping characteristics by reason of wear. v 10 If hardness rather than resiliency is desired for some particular installation, the same bulk of 4cork may be used, but 'in small particles, and

more abrasive should be used. The use of a resin instead of rubber will also naturally increase the 15 hardness of the material. In any event, if cork is used, the material will have a high degree of resiliencytbecause of the factthat cork is bodily compressible. In other words, regardless of the relative hardness of the binder o/Nubber or resin. the presence of relatively large particles of cork will give the entire material a high degree of resiliency. If a phenolthic resin instead of rubber is used for the body of the sheet I0, the resin should 25g be of such-type that reversion will occur at a lower temperature than that which will char or destroy cork. Cork becomes .charred at 450 F., and the reversion of the resin should therefore occur at a temperature not greater than 300 F. If rubberis used,l the sheet i0 will be vulcanized at a temperature not greater thanv 300 F. In any event, the layers I0 and l'l will be secured to each other during vulcanization. With the resilient layer i0 .vulcanized to a rigid 35 lower sheet Il, nocurling of the layer i0 can occur. Also, the rigid sheet Il can be attached to a sub-flooring or other supporting surface much more securely thanjs the case with a resilient preformed layer alone, .or a resilient layer 40 which must be troweled upon a sub-flooring.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the uppersheet lo has apertures I6 provided therein and the base sheet I0 Drovided with concentric but smaller apertures I1. In order to secure the material to ar flooring or sub-ilooring indicated by the numeral I8, bolts I9 are positioned in the apertures I6 and il to extend through apertures in the iiooring I8. After the material comprising the` layers'llland II has 5o been secured to the ilooring i8, a body of selfy vulcanizing .material 20 may be inserted in the apertures I6, this material preferably having the same degree .of `resiliency and the same wearing qualities as the material itself. 55

In the form of invention disclosed in Figure 3, the bolts i9 are positioned in the material of the invention during moldingv of the same.

In the form of material shown in Figure 4, a base sheei-l 2| formed of canvas or similar heavy fabric is cemented to the layer I0, the use `of ay end portion 23 curved to iit beneath the outer edge of a stair tread indicated at 24. The upper layer 25 is suitably secured to the base layer 22 and extends about the end portion 23 of the base layer as shown in Figure 6. Thebase layer 22 may be secured to the tread 24 by either of the arrangements disclosed in Figures 1 to 4. 'I'he portion of the layer-25 adjacent the edge of the tread, and indicatedby the numeral 26, contains a relatively large quantity of-nely divided cork particles and a relatively large quantity of abrasive, thus rendering this portion of the tread harder and maintaining properfantl-slip protection. The remainderof the layer 25, indicated by the numeral 21, includes larger cork particles so that it will have a. high degree of resiliency. By the above distribution of large and small cork particles, the wearing problems peculiar to stair treads are very efficiently met. It is found in practice that persons ascending steps-Will place the ball or more resilient portion of a foot upon the outer portion of the tread. Considerable wear therefore occurs at this point, and a. high degree of resiliency is not required. These conditions are entirely met by the use of a large quantity of small particles of cork in thevportion 26 of th'e tread. On the other hand, persons descending steps place their heels upon the body portion of the tread, indicated in Figure 6 by the numeral 2l, and a high degree of resiliency, is required at this point to give a more comfortable tread.

The tread disclosed in Figures and 6 therefore meets all of the problems involved in stair treads, and with full anti-slip qualities.

It will be observed that all of the forms of the invention are molded, and they may thus be formed under proper control. It is found that materials adapted to bemixed by troweling upon a iiooring or sub-ooring are not of uniform mixture and, furthermore, troweled materials cannot be-attached as securely to a ilooring as can the materials of the present invention.

It` will be understood that the invention is not limited to theQdetails of construction shown in the drawing, and that the examples of the uses of the material which have been given do not .include all of the uses 0f which it is capable; and

that the phraseology employed in the specifica# tion is for ,the purpose 'of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. A molded stair-tread covering comprising a portion adapted to be. positioned adjacent the outer edge of the tread and of such composition as to be relatively non-resilient, butlwith high non-slip characteristics, and a portion adapted to be positioned over the body of the tread, and of such composition as to have higher resilient characteristics than`the first-named portion.'

2. A molded stair-tread covering comprising a portion adapted to be positioned adjacent the outer edge of the tread and including relatively small particles of a material having non-slip and resilient characteristics, and aportion adapted to be positioned over the body of the tread including larger particles of said material.

3. A molded stair-tread covering comprising a portion adapted to be positioned adjacent the outer edge of the tread and including relatively small particles oi cork, and a portion adapted to be positioned over the body of the tread and including larger particlesl of cork, the particles of cork .being so4 exposed in the tread and Wear receiving surfaces of said portions as toretain their anti-slip and resilient characteristics.

HARRY M. AUSTIN. 

